REVIEW: FirmTek ThunderTek/PX2+2Thunderbolt Storage Bundle

FirmTek is now shipping the ThunderTek/PX2+2 which bundles the ThunderTek Thunderbolt-to-PCIe Expander with the SerTek/6G2+2 PCIe SATA adapter which enables you to mount two 2.5" drives directly on the card. We tested it connected to the 2013 Mac Pro 8-Core.

SIMULATED 4K VIDEO CAPTURE and PLAYBACK
We used AJA System Test to test file level sequential transfer speed of a 16GB test document. It also simulates capture and playback of a 4096x2160 10-bit RGB video. (HIGHEST number means FASTEST in Megabytes per Second.)

INSIGHTSThe ThunderTek/PX2+2 Storage Expansion Bundle is a unique way to adapt the SeriTek/6g2+2 (and other half length PCIe adapters) to a Mac with Thunderbolt ports.

Though the ThunderTek has a single PCIe slot, it accommodates wider PCIe adapters like the SeriTek/6g2+2 on which we mounted dual 6Gbps SSDs. That, in effect, makes it a standalone Thunderbolt storage device. Of course, with the two external eSATA ports of the 6g2+2, this bundle can also support two direct connect eSATA enclosures or two Port Multiplier enclosures or a combination of both.